LETTER: Didn't happen

Published: Monday, February 18, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 5:35 p.m.

I’ve been a lifelong resident of Illinois. Last January, my sister and I bought a house in Gadsden. I read the article about establishing a lottery in Alabama to hire armed police for every school in the state, so I had to write and tell you how this turned out in Illinois.

The Illinois Lottery was supposed to provide funds for education — didn’t happen. There’s a riverboat about five miles from my house there. It takes in several million dollars a month, probably from folks who can’t afford it any more than they can afford a few dollars each week for lottery tickets. The riverboat also was supposed to generate funds for education — didn’t happen.

The problem is that the amount the state takes in, be it from a lottery or a riverboat, varies from month to month. They “say” money from the lottery goes to education, but since the amounts can vary each month, I can’t say they hired more teachers — just as I wonder if Alabama would be able to hire more police to help keep children safe.

I thought the city of Elgin, where the boat is, could hire more police, but I don’t think it did that either. Officials keep trying to “beautify the city” — adding more flowers, redoing parks. Yes, it looks nice, but it fails the purpose for which it was intended.

Does Alabama have a problem with gambling? I don’t know, but if it does, a lottery will just make it worse. I can testify to that first hand. My husband was a lottery fanatic.

If the state should do this, it should study the income for, say, six months before deciding if there is enough profit to start hiring more police for the schools. Another option could be for a school administrator, like a principal or a vice principal, to be trained in firearms use. The person already would be on the payroll, but would just be willing to do this.

If a lottery ever is established here, I hope it works out well and for the purpose for which it is intended.

<p>I've been a lifelong resident of Illinois. Last January, my sister and I bought a house in Gadsden. I read the article about establishing a lottery in Alabama to hire armed police for every school in the state, so I had to write and tell you how this turned out in Illinois. </p><p>The Illinois Lottery was supposed to provide funds for education — didn't happen. There's a riverboat about five miles from my house there. It takes in several million dollars a month, probably from folks who can't afford it any more than they can afford a few dollars each week for lottery tickets. The riverboat also was supposed to generate funds for education — didn't happen.</p><p>The problem is that the amount the state takes in, be it from a lottery or a riverboat, varies from month to month. They “say” money from the lottery goes to education, but since the amounts can vary each month, I can't say they hired more teachers — just as I wonder if Alabama would be able to hire more police to help keep children safe. </p><p>I thought the city of Elgin, where the boat is, could hire more police, but I don't think it did that either. Officials keep trying to “beautify the city” — adding more flowers, redoing parks. Yes, it looks nice, but it fails the purpose for which it was intended.</p><p>Does Alabama have a problem with gambling? I don't know, but if it does, a lottery will just make it worse. I can testify to that first hand. My husband was a lottery fanatic.</p><p>If the state should do this, it should study the income for, say, six months before deciding if there is enough profit to start hiring more police for the schools. Another option could be for a school administrator, like a principal or a vice principal, to be trained in firearms use. The person already would be on the payroll, but would just be willing to do this. </p><p>If a lottery ever is established here, I hope it works out well and for the purpose for which it is intended. </p><p>Linda Kimsey</p><p>Gadsden</p>